Ecological Forecasting, predicting the effects of changes in the physical, chemical, and
biological environments on ecosystem state and activity, is an emerging field with
significant socio-economic implications. Though the concepts behind and expectations for ecological forecasting are clear, progress towards producing consistent, reliable,
and objective forecasts has been slow. Lack of infrastructure for integrating a variety
of modeling tools, information technologies, and ground and satellite data sets that
could serve the diverse needs of eco-hydrological community has been one key
impediment. Here, we describe our efforts at such an integrated system called the
Terrestrial Observation and Prediction System (TOPS). TOPS is a data and modeling
software system designed to seamlessly integrate data from satellite, aircraft, and
ground sensors with weather/climate and application models to expeditiously produce
operational nowcasts and forecasts of ecological conditions. TOPS has been operating
at a variety of spatial scales, ranging from individual vineyard blocks in California,
and predicting weekly irrigation requirements, to global scale producing regular
monthly assessments of global vegetation net primary production.